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A daily look at the most significant and interesting stories affecting Austin. Written by Nicole Cobler and Asher Price.

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Data: Texas A&M Transportation Institute; Note: Includes metro areas with at least 500k residents in 2024, and drivers who typically travel during peak periods; Chart: Axios Visuals

Drive time for Austinites is creeping up — even as it remains below pre-pandemic levels, per data from Texas A&M.

Why it matters: The findings put some hard data behind a common feeling among many drivers: Traffic has been getting worse — or at least different — since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Driving the news: Congestion is once again growing in many cities after a pandemic-era dip, while driver behavior has also changed, per the Texas A&M Transportation Institute's 2025 Urban Mobility Report.

Traditional rush hours are returning, but there's also a "noticeable rise in midday congestion," the report finds, possibly tied to remote and hybrid work changing people's travel behaviors.

How it works: The researchers used data from the Federal Highway Administration and INRIX, a transportation analytics firm.

Zoom in: Austin commuters were stuck in traffic for a total of 64 hours on average in 2024. 

That's down from the previous record of 68 hours set in 2019.

Zoom out: American drivers on average spent a record 63 hours annually stuck in traffic.

Traffic delays remained near or below pre-pandemic levels in Dallas and San Antonio. In Houston, commuters spent a record 77 hours last year in traffic.

Yes, but: Be glad you don't have to commute in Los Angeles, where the annual traffic time was 137 hours last year.

The big picture: It's getting harder to predict when it'll be busy out on the roads, leading to "added traveler frustration," as the report puts it.

What we're watching: Whether the I-35 expansion will actually ease traffic — or just make us more like Houston.

State officials have said the project is necessary to accommodate the region's booming population, improve emergency response times and ease traffic congestion.

Critics say expanding the highway will just add more vehicles to Austin's roads.

It's not just you — Austin traffic really has gotten worse

See why traffic has become unpredictable in the post-pandemic world.

Cars and trucks on a major highway with the Austin skyline in the background.

Drive time for Austinites is <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="creeping up" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2025/10/28/traffic-congestion-getting-worse" data-vars-content-id="560e6b69-ddfa-481b-9684-39a0b493bc1b" data-vars-headline="It&#x27;s not just you — Austin traffic really has gotten worse" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2025/10/28/traffic-congestion-getting-worse" target="_self">creeping up</a> — even as it remains below pre-pandemic levels, per data from Texas A&amp;M.Why it matters: The findings put some hard data behind a common feeling among many drivers: Traffic has been getting worse — or at least different — since the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="COVID-19 pandemic" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2025/08/28/cdc-covid-vaccine-rules-recommendations-high-risk-fda" data-vars-content-id="560e6b69-ddfa-481b-9684-39a0b493bc1b" data-vars-headline="It&#x27;s not just you — Austin traffic really has gotten worse" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2025/08/28/cdc-covid-vaccine-rules-recommendations-high-risk-fda" target="_self">COVID-19 pandemic</a>.

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Latest news on Wall Street, Corporate America and financial regulation.

Business

Data: U.S. Census Bureau; Chart: Axios Visuals

Austin's construction, agriculture and mining, manufacturing, and accommodation and food services industries have the greatest shares of foreign-born noncitizen workers, per census data.

Why it matters: President Trump earlier this summer acknowledged that his massive immigration crackdown is "taking very good, longtime workers away from" the farming and hotel industries, and promised changes.

By the numbers: Foreign-born noncitizens — including those who are legal residents or have work visas — make up 8.3% of the country's civilian workforce age 16 and older, based on a 2019-2023 average of U.S. Census Bureau estimates.

In Austin, 10.4% of workers are foreign-born noncitizens. 

The latest: Texas state troopers a couple of weeks ago assisted federal officers with immigration arrests at a construction site off East Riverside Drive, per Reporte Austin.

The Trump administration has taken some smaller steps, such as the Labor Department's new "Office of Immigration Policy," meant to streamline some temporary worker visas.

Yes, but: Some in Trump's MAGA base view any form of capitulation on immigration as a form of amnesty — and a broken promise to conduct mass deportations.

"MAGA is always on amnesty watch. It will not move forward, no matter what name anyone tries to call it. They all have to go home," right-wing podcaster Jack Posobiec told Axios' Tal Axelrod.

What they're saying: "This is not amnesty. It's not amnesty lite," a senior Trump administration official told Axios' Marc Caputo of the visa effort.

"No one who is illegally here is being given a pathway to citizenship or residency."

The bottom line: Both undocumented workers and the industries relying on them are still largely in limbo. 

Austin's noncitizen workers outpace U.S. share of workforce

More than a quarter of the city's construction workers are non-U.S. citizens.

A worker with the Texas Capitol in teh background.

Austin&#x27;s construction, agriculture and mining, manufacturing, and accommodation and food services industries have the greatest shares of foreign-born noncitizen workers, per census data.

San Antonio

Axios San Antonio

Data: Vaisala Xweather; Map: Erin Davis/Axios Visuals

After multiple storms swept through Austin this week, we're looking at how often lightning strikes around Central Texas.

Why it matters: Aside from the immediate danger to people, aircraft and infrastructure, lightning can spark wildfires — and the number of strikes is predicted to increase amid climate change, researchers have found.

By the numbers: Texas is one of America's lightning capitals, as it's home to all of the top 10 U.S. counties ranked by lightning strikes per square mile in 2024, per weather data firm Vaisala Xweather.

Walker County had about 825 strikes per square mile in 2024; Limestone County had 811; and Madison County had 795. All are along or close to I-45 between Houston and Dallas.

Yes, but: Things aren't as scary in Travis County, where there were about 145 strikes per square mile last year.

Reality check: Still, that's more than 150,000 strikes in Travis County in 2024.

One strike caused a house fire in North Austin this month, per CBS Austin. No one was injured.

Austin-area fire departments also responded to at least a pair of house fires sparked by lightning in a single night in March, per KXAN. No injuries were reported in those incidents, either.

Between the lines: Texas' lightning hotspot status isn't random — it's more prone to strikes as a result of consistent storms tied to its climate and geography.

How it works: Vaisala Xweather's data comes from sensors that use radio waves to detect and triangulate lightning strikes, with a claimed median accuracy of 84 meters (just under 300 feet).

The data includes cloud-to-ground and in-cloud lightning.

Here's how often lightning strikes in Austin

Texas is one of America's lightning capitals.

An image of lightning over the Texas Capitol.

After multiple storms swept through <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Austin" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/austin" data-vars-content-id="b1036133-87a5-42a4-b3e9-9a33fb8d95b2" data-vars-headline="Here&#x27;s how often lightning strikes in Austin" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/austin" target="_self">Austin</a> this week, we&#x27;re looking at how often lightning strikes around Central Texas.Why it matters: Aside from the immediate danger to people, aircraft and infrastructure, lightning can <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="spark wildfires" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2025/05/20/wildfires-fire-weather-climate-change" data-vars-content-id="b1036133-87a5-42a4-b3e9-9a33fb8d95b2" data-vars-headline="Here&#x27;s how often lightning strikes in Austin" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2025/05/20/wildfires-fire-weather-climate-change" target="_self">spark wildfires</a> — and the number of strikes is predicted to increase amid climate change, researchers have found.

Austin City Council members are contemplating levying a new fee to pay for city parks.

Why it matters: Facing a budget deficit, the City Council is searching for ways to raise money instead of slashing maintenance and key park programs.

The parks department has an operating budget of $185 million this fiscal year.

What they're saying: Parks, splash pads, playgrounds and recreation centers — as well as park programming such as summer camps — "are vital to our city's identity and quality of life," Council Member Paige Ellis posted on a city message board last week. 

"But maintaining them requires sustained, reliable funding, and it is clear that the status quo is not enough," 

How it works: Without offering details, Ellis proposed "a small, dedicated fee on utility bills, with all revenue going directly toward the maintenance and improvement of Austin's parks system."

Residents enrolled in a city-sponsored financial assistance program could be exempt from paying the monthly fee, she suggested.

Between the lines: ParkScore, a national comparison of park systems across the 100 most populated cities in the U.S., produced by the Trust for Public Land (TPL), rated Austin 54th in 2025, down from 44th in 2024.

Data: Trust for Public Land; Chart: Kavya Beheraj/Axios

"Austin's slip mostly has to do with other cities rising faster and that the city's score has largely remained the same," Rebecca Bullis, a spokesperson for TPL, tells Axios. 

The intrigue: A 2023 state law restricted Austin's ability to require developers to build new parks alongside new construction.

Zoom out: The ParkScore drop "shows we can't keep doing things the same way," Council Member Vanessa Fuentes wrote on the message board last week in support of a fee. 

"But let's make sure we get the equity piece right, both in how we structure the fee and where the money actually goes. Too many neighborhoods have been left behind when it comes to quality parks and amenities."

Zoom in: Residents living in lower-income neighborhoods have access to 64% less nearby park space than those in higher-income neighborhoods, per the TPL ParkScore report. 

Nearly 70% of Austin residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park, TPL says. Nationally, the figure is 76%.

Austin also scored below average in the amenities category, which assesses the availability of popular park features like basketball hoops, off-leash dog parks, playgrounds and senior centers.

The other side: Last year, Austin parks officials noted underlying "historic injustices" with park acquisition and said the city "is balancing the cost of acquiring parkland in an expensive market with rapid population growth and limited departmental resources."

The bottom line: Washington, D.C., remains the system to beat, after claiming the top spot in the TPL report for a fifth consecutive year.

💰 What's next: The Austin City Council will adopt its budget for the coming fiscal year in mid-August.

Park upkeep fees floated by Austin City Council

The idea comes as the city faces a budget deficit.

Illustration of Austin City Hall with lines radiating from it.

<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Austin City Council" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/austin/2024/11/06/austin-city-council-election-results" data-vars-content-id="c946a189-e5fa-4c17-8098-6ca24dcea0ab" data-vars-headline="Park upkeep fees floated by Austin City Council" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/austin/2024/11/06/austin-city-council-election-results" target="_self">Austin City Council</a> members are contemplating levying a new fee to pay for <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="city parks" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/austin/2024/11/26/city-austin-parks-department-director" data-vars-content-id="c946a189-e5fa-4c17-8098-6ca24dcea0ab" data-vars-headline="Park upkeep fees floated by Austin City Council" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/austin/2024/11/26/city-austin-parks-department-director" target="_self">city parks</a>.Why it matters: Facing a budget deficit, the City Council is searching for ways to raise money instead of slashing maintenance and key park programs.

Things to Do

Texas has more international students than nearly every other state, per data from NAFSA, an international education nonprofit.

Why it matters: The Trump administration is halting student visa interviews and revoking visas for Chinese students amid a political pressure campaign against colleges and universities and a broader immigration crackdown.

By the numbers: Of all international students studying in the U.S. during the 2023-24 school year, about 8% were doing so in Texas, third behind only California (12.5%) and New York (12.1%).

The big picture: The student visa pause comes amid the Trump administration's criticism of U.S. colleges and universities for failing to crack down on what it describes as heightened antisemitism as students protest Israel's actions in Gaza.

The revocation of Chinese students' visas in particular is tied to concerns that their government is using them "to steal intellectual property on Beijing's behalf," a State Department official told Axios. 

Zoom in: The University of Texas appears to be especially exposed to the administration's crackdown.

During the 2024-25 school year, nearly 2,000 undergraduates and more than 4,600 graduate students were from abroad — or about 12% of all UT-Austin students.

International students represent 130 countries, with 1,394 of those students hailing from China, second only to the 1,502 from India.

What they're saying: As part of standard practice, "there is ongoing communication" with international students about immigration and other matters, "providing guidance where applicable," UT spokesperson Mike Rosen tells Axios. 

Between the lines: The visas of at least 260 international university students in Texas — including students from Texas A&M and Texas State — were revoked by the federal government this spring, before the Trump administration reversed course and reactivated legal status.

That decision came after federal judges ordered the administration to restore legal status for three people who came to Texas from India on student visas.

What we're watching: UT's interim president, Jim Davis, has not made any major public pronouncements about international students and their role at the university. 

Stanford University president Jon Levin, in contrast, wrote in a Linkedin post in late May that "it's self-defeating to send away young people with so much potential to contribute to the country."

International students in Texas left in limbo

The University of Texas appears to be especially exposed to the administration's international student crackdown.

Texas has more international students than nearly every other state, per data from NAFSA, an international education nonprofit.Why it matters: The Trump administration is <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="halting student visa interviews" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2025/05/27/student-visas-trump-social-media" data-vars-content-id="dbae1d16-f02e-4c8c-a007-4a2d4742f26f" data-vars-headline="International students in Texas left in limbo" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2025/05/27/student-visas-trump-social-media" target="_self">halting student visa interviews</a> and <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="revoking visas for Chinese students" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2025/05/28/student-visas-china-us-rubio" data-vars-content-id="dbae1d16-f02e-4c8c-a007-4a2d4742f26f" data-vars-headline="International students in Texas left in limbo" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2025/05/28/student-visas-china-us-rubio" target="_self">revoking visas for Chinese students</a> amid a political pressure campaign against colleges and universities and a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="broader immigration crackdown" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2025/05/28/immigration-ice-deportations-stephen-miller" data-vars-content-id="dbae1d16-f02e-4c8c-a007-4a2d4742f26f" data-vars-headline="International students in Texas left in limbo" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2025/05/28/immigration-ice-deportations-stephen-miller" target="_self">broader immigration crackdown</a>.

Politics

Axios Salt Lake City

St. George's growth surge outshines Salt Lake City

Salt Lake City

A symbol map of the U.S. showing the top 10 metro areas by percentage growth in 2024-25. Ocala, Fla. leads at +3.4%.

Top 10 metro areas by percent growth, 2024-25

Data: U.S Census Bureau; Map: Axios Visuals

Mapped: America's highest electric bills

National

A choropleth map showing the estimated average 2025 monthly electric bill by U.S. county. The national average is estimated to be $160 per month. Some areas have averages above $200 per month, like eastern North Carolina, Alabama, Texas and California. States in the Mountain West tend to have the lowest average bills, at $100 or less.

Estimated average monthly electric bill in 2025

Data: Heatmap News, OEDI, EIA, HUD, U.S. Census; Map: Erin Davis/Axios Visuals

Strait of Hormuz stays shut as Trump demands Iran stop tolls

Axios Chicago

Lawmakers weigh human composting in Illinois

Chicago

San Antonio gained college grads but trails the rest of the U.S.

A chart showing the change in the share of population over 25 that has attained a bachelor's degree or higher by metro area from 2015-2019 to 2020-2024. Overall, there's been a 3.6% increase in degree holders. The largest increases have been in Durham, N.C. (8.1%), New Haven, Conn. (7%) and Austin (6.1%). In the San Antonio metro area, there's been an increase from 28.2% to 32.3%.

Alex Fitzpatrick

Featured stories

St. George's growth surge outshines Salt Lake City

Mapped: America's highest electric bills

Strait of Hormuz stays shut as Trump demands Iran stop tolls

Lawmakers weigh human composting in Illinois

San Antonio gained college grads but trails the rest of the U.S.